Google ‘Shortwave’ is an experimental podcast app

Podcasts are an immensely popular medium, and while Google launched its own dedicated podcast app in June, it looks like it’s got at least one more project is focused on podcasts.

It should be noted right up front that Google Shortwave, which was revealed recently in a trademark filing, is an experiment being developed within Google’s Area 120. A spokesperson for the company confirmed that the new app is indeed designed to focus on spoken-word content.

The app’s trademark filing describes it as “allow[ing] users to search, access, and play digital audio files, and to share links to audio files.” That aforementioned spokesperson told The Verge that Shortwave is “one of many” projects being worked on within Area 120, but that it has no connection to any current Google products.

“One of the many projects that we’re working on within Area 120 is Shortwave, which helps users discover and consume spoken-word audio in new ways. Like other projects within Area 120, it’s a very early experiment so there aren’t many details to share right now.“

That Google podcast app offers a variety of features, including built-in integration with Google Assistant and the ability to preserve a listener’s location in a podcast across different devices. If Shortwave is indeed a product that does see the light of day at some point in the future, it is unknown how these two apps would benefit from one another.

How often do you listen to podcasts? If you use Google’s new app, how are you liking the experience so far?

source: androidandme